The invention relates to a heat sink for an electric machine and to an electric machine equipped with such a heat sink. The invention further relates to a method for producing the heat sink.
Electric machines of the type used, for example, as electric motors or generators in electric or hybrid vehicles are expected to provide increasingly greater power and power densities. Heat is generated in electric machines as a result of losses occurring during a conversion between electrical energy and mechanical energy, and as a result of other effects. Fluid cooling, in particular liquid cooling, is frequently utilized in order to prevent overheating of the electric machine.
Fluid cooling systems in this case are often formed with the aid of specially designed, for example, double-walled housings, in which a cooling fluid is conveyed through channels or ribs. In this case, the housing adjoins components of the electric machine such as, for example, the stator, and therefore heat can be dissipated from said stator. The manufacturing and/or reliable sealing of housings utilized for cooling can be complex and costly.
A cooling device for an electric machine arrangement is described, for example, in DE 10 2009051881.